The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Leader of Opposition (LoP) in MCD House Ankush Narang launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government after the committee meeting failed to resolve the ongoing strike of Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) employees. He said BJP Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh handed 5,200 MTS workers a fake showpiece in the name of a committee this Diwali, only to skip its very first meeting along with senior officials.
The MCD LoP revealed that the BJP is forcing Hindu employees to spend their festivals on the streets while hiding behind false figures — claiming 33,000 beneficiaries instead of 9,000 MTS staff and inflating the cost from ₹41 crore to ₹400 crore.
AAP’s LoP in MCD House Ankush Narang stated, “On 14 October, during the MCD House meeting, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh had announced the formation of a committee to resolve the demands of MTS employees who are on strike. He had said the committee’s decision would come within 24 to 48 hours. But no such committee was formed at that time. Now, ten days later, the committee held its first meeting on Saturday, yet no solution to the employees’ problems has been found.”
He elaborated, “The committee consists of four members from the BJP, one each from the AAP and the Congress, and three representatives of MTS employees. However, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh himself did not attend this meeting, nor did senior officials from the MCD Health Department. What, then, was the purpose of this meeting? It clearly shows that the BJP has no intention of resolving the issues faced by MTS employees.”
Highlighting the plight of the striking workers, Ankush Narang said, “These employees have been on strike for the last 25 days. Their Dussehra, Karvachauth, Diwali, Bhaidooj, and now Chhath Puja have all been wasted on the streets. All these are Hindu festivals. Yet, the BJP, which claims to be the protector of Hindutva and Sanatan Dharma, has forced these Hindu employees to spend their festivals on the road. Diwali, the biggest Hindu festival, was turned into a dark Diwali for these workers by the BJP. What kind of hypocrisy is this? The BJP, which seeks votes in the name of Hindus, has now pushed Hindu employees to sit on the streets.”
Drawing attention to the public health crisis, he added, “Due to the ongoing MTS strike, the people of Delhi are suffering from the severe outbreak of malaria, chikungunya, and dengue. The number of seasonal disease cases is rising daily. This year, the cases of malaria, chikungunya, and dengue have broken the records of the last five years. The only reason behind this is the arrogance of the BJP and Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh. Officials are presenting false figures in meetings. They say that if equal pay is given to 9,000 MTS employees, it would also have to be extended to 33,000 others, which is false. They also claim that it would cost ₹400 crore, while the actual cost is only ₹90 crore. Moreover, providing equal pay to 5,200 employees would only require an additional ₹41 crore. Their calculations are completely misleading.”
Explaining the detailed figures, the MCD LoP said, “Currently, there are 1,098 CFW (Contractual Facilitation Workers), 362 CMB workers, and 2,994 DBC (Domestic Breeding Checkers). All of them are demanding a minimum grade pay of ₹27,900 along with a variable Dearness Allowance. Out of 1,098 CFWs, 212 already receive ₹27,900, while the remaining 886 get ₹18,456 — a difference of ₹9,444. For these 1,248 employees (886 CFWs and 362 CMBs), the monthly additional cost is ₹1.18 crore, and the annual cost is ₹14.14 crore. For 2,994 DBC employees, the pay difference between ₹20,371 and ₹27,900 amounts to ₹7,529, which means ₹2.25 crore per month and ₹27.05 crore annually. The total additional annual cost is ₹41.19 crore. So why is the BJP quoting a figure of ₹400 crore?”
Criticising the BJP for its inaction, he asserted, “All four engines — the Central Government, Delhi Government, Lieutenant Governor, and MCD — are under BJP’s control. PM Modi, CM Rekha Gupta, and Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh are all from the BJP. The BJP had said that with a BJP government in Delhi, the Centre and MCD would work together efficiently. Then why is it hesitating over ₹41 crore? Can Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh not secure a budget of ₹41 crore from the Chief Minister or the Prime Minister? If not, he is unfit to remain Mayor in a so-called four-engine government and should resign immediately. Forcing employees to celebrate festivals on the streets and letting Delhi’s people suffer from dengue and malaria should make him feel ashamed.”
Recalling the Aam Aadmi Party’s contribution, Ankush Narang said, “It was the AAP government that had recognised DBC employees as MTS. The BJP must remember — it, too, had once sat on the roads in protest. BJP MPs and councillors had even staged a sit-in outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence demanding ₹13,000 crore from the Delhi Government.”
“Now, when the BJP is in power in both the Centre and Delhi, why can’t they bring ₹41 crore? What could be more shameful than this? The BJP has turned Diwali — celebrated in joy for Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya — into a dark Diwali. On what grounds will they now seek votes in the name of Hinduism or Lord Rama? This so-called committee is just a showpiece. The BJP has no intention of solving the issue. It is wasting everyone’s time — its own, ours, and the employees’. The people of Delhi are paying the price through the rising cases and deaths from malaria, dengue, and chikungunya. The BJP and its Mayor should feel ashamed,” he concluded.
